The Sun. — London, England, 1864-04-09 00:00:00

nIPERIAL PARLIAMM NT HOUSE OF LORDS—Last Evening. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack at the usual hour. PRIVATE BUSINESS. The following bills were read a second time :—Colne. Railway, Chertsey Gas , Llanelly Railwayand Dock, Newry and Greenore Railway, Southwark Park, Folke. stone Water, Matlock and Bath Water, Marple New Mills, and Hayfield Junction Railway. LEASES AND SALES OF SETTLED ESTATES BILL. This bill passed through committee and was ordered to be reported on Thursday next. COURT OF CHANGER BILLY (DESPATCH OF BUSI- N. This bill was read a third time and passed. Their lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OP COMMONS—Last Evening. The SPEAXER took the chair at four o'clock. PRIVATE BUSINESS. The Leeds, Bradford, and Halifax Junction Railway Bill was read a third time and passed. THE LISBURN ELECTION COMMITTEE. Mr. ADAIR gave notice that on Monday next he would move that the minutes of the proceedings of this committee and the evidence given before it should be laid on the table of the house. KIDNAPPING BRITISH SUBJECTS IN THE UNITED STATES. Sir A. AGNEW asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether her Majesty's Government had received any reports from consular officers in the United States of America, stating that British subjects had been kidnapped, detained, or otherwise outraged with the object of forcing them to serve as soldiers in the Federal army ? Mr. LAYARD said that reports had been received from her Majesty's Consuls at N ew York, Boston, and Portland to the effect that certain Irishmen had been kidnapped for the Federal service in the United States. It appeared that when they reaohed the United States they were imprisoned for some time, and were plied with whisky, when they were induced to enlist in the Federal army. Instruc tions had been sent to Lord Lyons, directing him to take steps in reference to this matter, and to protect English sub jects in the United states. TOBACCO JUICE FOR SHEEP. Lord J. BROWNE asked the Chancellor of the Ex chequer, whether, as tobacco juice for sheep dressing is allowed to be made at Glasgow from tobacco free of duty, he would allow the same privilege to be granted to parties applying therefore in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, and the other principal ports of Ireland. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER. said that the privilege extended to all the ports in Great Britain and Ireland. CONVICTS IN COUNTY GAOLS. Mr. 0. GORE—Government having increased the allow ance towards the maintenance in county and borough gaols of convicts sentenced to penal servitude from a maximum of 4s per head per week to a maximum of 8s for such a period as they may be detained in prison, beyond two calendar months from the time of conviction, asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it was intended to keep such convicts in county gaols for any time longer than at present, as it will in Shropshire necessitate an increase of accommodation and in staff, there being no means of giv ing hard labour for any greater number than at present. Sir G. GREY said it was not intended to detain the de scription of convicts alluded to longer than was actually necessary, and he hoped their detention would be only for a short time. Some difficulty had arisen relative to the sub ject in consequence of the number of convictions which had taken place for some years, but owing to the decrease that had taken place in the number of sentences to penal servi tude during the present year, there wore facilities for effect ing a beneficial alteration in the existing system. THE BRADFORD RESERVOIRS. Mr. FERRAND asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he had received Mr. Rawlin son's report on the state of the Bradford reservoirs ; if so, whether he has reported them to be safe ; if not, which are recorded unsafe ; and, in the event of any of them being unsafe, whether the Government would take immediate steps to protect those persons whose lives are endangered ; and whether he would lay the report upon the table of the house. Sir G. GREY sal-I that Mr. Raw Mason had not yet presented his report, and was at present engaged in his other duties in Lancashire. He was of opinion that there was no danger to be apprehended from any of the Bradford reservoirs. THE CONFERENCE. Sir H. VERNEY asked the First Lord of the Treasury, whether, at the Coaference about to assemble on the affairs of Germany and Denmark, the interests of the inhabitants of the Duchies of Holstein and Schleswig will be repre sented and protected. Lord PALMERSTON said that the interests of the Duchies in question would be fully represented at the coming Conference. In the first place there would be pre sent the representatives of their lawful sovereign, in the next place there would be the representatives of the two German Powers which took up srms to protect, as it was understood the interest of the Duchies, and then there would be the representatives of the Germtin Diet, who, as might be supposed, would also take care of the in- leresta of the Duchies. SUB-INSPECTORS OF FACTORIES. Colonel EDWARDS asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether sub-inspectors of factories must be at least 25 years of age before being appointed : whether it was true that the new scale of salary did not give them any annual increase of pay, but requires thirty years of service before the scale of £5OO a year is reached, and limits the recipients of £5OO a year to two sub-inspectors out of 20. And whether it is true that the allowance for personal expenses when absent from home is only 12s. a night for a sub-inspector of factories, while the same allowance in other departments is 155., and in some instances £1 per day ; and, if so, why this allowance to sub-inspectors of factories had not been raised to the average standard. Sir G. GREY answered in the affirmative, and repeated the statement he had already made on the subject. THE GERMAN CONFERENCE. scriptions upon the tombstones, that was a matter with re spect to which the Government had no right to interfere. If real names were not inscribed upon the gravel, no doubt that might be productive of inconvenience in cises where it might be necessary to establish a title to pcol erty. But they all knew the inconvenience was mach greater when no names at all were inscribednpon them, and there was no law in this country compelling the erectio n of tombstones. The hon. member had next referred to the undue influence which had been brought to bear upon the gentleman al- luded to by Mr. Smec; to induce him to part with hie pro- perty. Well, it might or might not be true that such in- finance had been used. If it had been, there were numerous precedents on record to prove that the law was powerful to deal with oases of the kind ; and indeed he had been informed .. , thrAt proceedings were now being taken with respect to this xtry will, founded upon the allegations in the petition of Mr. Smee. Mr, NEWDEGAT E said it had been found that the law was ineffective to meet the case. Sir G. GREY said that must be because there was no undue influence exercised. (Hear, hear.) He must say that no ground whatever had been made out for the ap pointment of the committee—that no good could come from it ; on the contrary, that it might give rise to discussions and disputes which had much better be avoided. (Hear, hear.) Lord C, HOWARD deprecated religious discussions in that house, but if they were brought forward they ought to be accompanied with the same gentlemanly feeling that prevailed when other questions were brought under the notice of the house, and which generally pervaded all nuts of life to some extent. Even before prize fighter, com menced their pugilistic encounter they shook :lands with some degree of formality. On this occasio: i a most violent attack had been made upon the family with which he was closely related. Yet no intimation. was given to him that it was about to be made. Assetcions had been made which were opposed to the truth, And calumnies had been thrown out not only against the gentlemen who lived at the Ora tory, but by implice:tion on himself, he being a member of the family to which he had alluded. The attack had come from theother aide of the house, and what ha had to say was in defence; and he therefore hoped the house would permit him, with as much discretion as he could use, to reply, though he had no wish to express himself too strongly on the slanders that had been uttered on the other side of the house. The hon. member for North Warwickshire identified him- self with this petition, and one of the statements was that the family of the Duke of Norfolk was in close communica tion with the members of the order, and assisted them in their various schemes, and it went on to say that young men of position and wealth were concealed from their friends by members of the order. That was in fact saying that the family with which he had the honour of being connected was engaged with others in conspiracy, in fraud, and in concealment, He should not further mention this, because he believed he had many friends—valued friends—amongst all religious persuasions, and he was sure there was not one person in the country, unless it was the hon. gentleman, who would give him or his friends or any one of them credit for bearing a part in such disgraceful and unheard of proceedings. Then there came another clause in this petition, in which it was stated that the heir of the Duke of Norfolk, and, he thought it said, his brother, had been seen assisting in ecclesiastical garments in the public perform ance of service there, The hon. member for North War wickshire said he belonged to the University of Oxford, he (Lord E. Howard) belonged to the University of Cam bridge, and he was in the habit when he went to the chapel of the university of being clad in a surplice, and he should suppose the hon. gentleman had also worn a surplice on those occasions, and was there anything disgraceful in that ? And if he wore a surplice why might not other people in a public church, like the Oratory at Brompton, do so. He had seen his nephew assisting there, and he had got a little boy grown up to that age when one's feelings are bound up so much, to an age when he pro mised to be the hope of one's family or the prop to one's declining years. Persons were good enough to commend his appearance and disposition, and all that, and he was proud to say that that little boy also assisted his nephew in the garments on which the hon. gentleman had made such observations. That little boy died within a very short period of his assisting at this public service of their Church,land he could tell the hon. gentleman, so far from being ashamed of it, it was a great comfort to him that he had been allowed at the solicitation of his mother, to pay that small mead of respect to his Maker. He had passed to a purer and a better world, where there was cer tainly no malignity like that to which his family had been that night exposed ; and he did not believe that little boy would have a less bright place there because he paid his mead of respect to his Maker on earth. Nor did he believe his mother, who was also gone, had a less bright place thee e because it was at her request that he paid that mead of praise. He had had to sustain the grief of these two losses within the short space of 20 months, coupled with the loss of the father of the young duke, a most excellent man and the best of brothers. (Hear, hear.) That grief was to be ripped open by the hon. gentleman, who had as it were ripped off the lids of the coffins of those who were gone. to be held up to public execration, because a person such as Mr. Smee chose to allege impossibilities and untruths in a petition for which the hon. gentleman became spensor in that house. Having said this much as personal to himself, although he was not undertaking the defence of the Oratory, it was fair that ho should advert to something that had dropped from the hon. member for North Warwickshire, He meationed the case of a Mr. Harrison. Now. Mr. Har rison was brought to the Oratory by an elder brother, who was an cfflcer in the army. He became, no doubt, a convrt under such circumstances, and he returned to the Westminster School the same night, and shortly after wards to his father. Ha was surprised that a gentleman in the position of a county member should endeavour to influence a case, by animadversion in that house, which was before the ordinary tribunals of the country. Whatever the will was he knew nothing of it; it was in its proper place, and he had no doubt it would be properly disposed of by the authorities in whose presence it now stood. As to the register of deaths, a name on a tombstone was of no value; but the proof of death was to be found in the register kept by a proper officer. He now passed from the petition, to which he need not further allude; but he invited the attention of his hon. friend whilst he replied to the flagiti ous attack which had been made upon him. The hon. gentleman (Mr. Newdegate) had some scruples of conscience as to the letter addressed to the Duchess of Norfolk from Finsbury-circus ; but his scruples only extended to the ad dress and not to the contents of the letter, he saying it should have been addressed to two gentlemen whom he called guardians, bat who held no such position. Mr. NE WDEGATE—I said trustees. Lord C, HOWARD—As to Mr. Hutchinson's money, the amount of which had been exaggerated, ho was a just and a charitable man, and had a right to dispose of it as he liked. No one would blame him for devoting his property to charitable or religious purposes, to which people fre quently gave their money and their lives. Well, he must deny that the duchess had had the smallest share in this calumny, which had been so improperly brought before the house, and which he must say in some measure the hon. gentleman identified himself. He must have known of these letters being written. Mr. NEWDEGATE—I knew not one single thing about it. Lord C. HOWARD continued. He hoped this would be a caution to the hon. gentleman in future as to what company he trusted himself in, and what use might be sought to be made by others of one who was a member of one of the largest interests in England. Really, a gentle man of his age—(laughter)—they heard of young men going into the metropolis and being taken advantage of by persons here and there. This did happen, but the house would allow him to suggest, in the most friendly way, that if the hon. gentleman had not been prudent hitherto, he should in future have some little introduction, and see who the persons were who soaght to father their views upon him and lead him into practices which he himself would depre cate. That paper accused the duchess of the prospective murder of her daughter by immuring her in a certain con vent. That young lady was his niece, and he never saw a person so anxious to enter into the order, knowing well its scope and practices, as she was. There were many young w omen who like her never could be happy in the tumult and disturbance of the world. The hon. gentleman had said that they should respect the feelings of others as Pro testants. Had the hon. gentleman respected their feelings as Catholics when he stated that he disapproved of the letter being addressed to the duchess, but not its contents. That letter said her grace stood by the grave of his relative in a sort of ecstacy ; that was not attributing the most praise. w orthy motives to her grace, who seemed to have gone to the funeral to take part in the ceremony that was being per formed on the solemn occasion. And then as to the increase in the number of converts ; the fact was that in 999 cases out of 1000 these converts simply consisted of two or three nuns, who were invited into the neighbourhood to teach a school which some philanthropic gentleman had founded. , There were those—and probably the hon. gentleman amongst the number—who accused the Catholics of keep ing their poor in ignorance; and yet they threw every ob stacle in the way of their educating them. He apologised to the house for the statement which he had made ; it had been most painful to him. if the sorrows whiehoppressed one more than one could describe were to be raked up in this way before the public one must come to the house and in one's place defend himself from such attacks. Unfortu nately his famiiy had been diminished very considerably of late, but he was happy that he was spared to defend them from the calumnies which he had hoped that no member of this house would have lent himself to. His family could wish the hon. member (Mr. Newdegate) no harm; they would wish: that he might see the error of his ways, and as he became an older he might become a wiser and a juster man. Thanking the house meet cordially for the reception they had given him, and convinced that the British public would know where to bestow its sympathy and its judgment —a judgment, although it might be misled at times, was in the main sound and healthy—he left the case with the fullest confidence in their hands. (Cheers.) Mr. O'HAGAN said it was perfectly notorious that, in every probate cturt in Ireland, as well as in England, cases were continually occurring on the ground that spiritual in fluence had been exercised, and on that ground the verdict was sometimes set aside. The hon. and learned gentleman proceeded to say that Mr. Hutchinson had a fortune of £ 30 , 0 00, over which he had had entire control during his Mr. HORSMAN gave notice that he would put a ques tion to the First Lord of the Treasury to the effect that whether the result of the Conference having entered into any engagement which might be binding on this country, the terms of such engagement should not be submitted to Parliament for sanction before its aloption. ST. MARY'S SYDENHAM, BURIAL GROUND. Mr. NE WDEGAEE, on the motion for going into com mittee of supply, moved for a select committee to inquire into the allegations contained in the petition of Mr. Alfred Brnee (presented 19th February), relative to the Saint Mary's, Sydenham, burial grow). I, and further into the existence, increase, and nature of the Conventual and Monastic communities, societies, or institutions in England, Wales, and Scotland. The hon. member entered into a rather prosy detail of the circumstances connected with this subject. Sir G. GREY said it appeared to him that the petition of Mr. Smee upon which the motion of the hon. member was I founded did not of itself afford a sufficient reason for the appointment of a committee, and he must express the same opinion with respect to the correspondence between Mr. Smee and the Home Office. At the same time he could sympathise with the feelings of Mr. Smee, when he saw one with whom he had been brought up on terms of great intimacy, and which was subsequently cemented by the ties of marriage, induced to change the religion in which he had been born, and adopt a creed from which he (Mr. Smee) consciously dissented. It was, indeed, a matter of sincere regret to him that the youth of this country should be so imperfectly acquainted with the doctrines of their own Church, that immediately on their passing into the world they should be exposed to the influence of those gentlemen, who no doubt were persons of learning, of great powers of persuasion, and of very attractive manners. Still the lion, member would hardly recommend the House of Commons to entertain the idea that any other measures could be taken for the counteracting of those influences, except as far as they were able by grounding our young men in the doc trines of the Church of England. Having said so much, he Might now observe that Mr, Smee seemed to have taken a most erroneous view of the powers vested in the Secretary of State. The Acts for the regulation of the burial of the dead within the metropolis are founded solely upon the Principle of affording protection to:the public health. The discretion lodged in the Government with respect to the closing or opening of burial grounds was never in• tended to be arbitrarily exercised ; nor was their ap proval to b e grante d or w i t hh e ld accor di ng t o t h e re li g i ous opinions of th e appl i cants. M r . S mee , h owever, t h oug ht otherwise ; and he was also under the impression that in the present case some undue secret influence was brought to bear upon the Home Office. He hoped the publication of the correspondence would remove that impression, while he must express hi s regret that Mr. Sines had thought proper to introdu ce the name of the late D u k e o f N or f o lk into the proceedings. Dr. Faber, being at the time the prin cipal of the htoman Catholic College at Brompton, made application to the Home office to establish a burialeground fur the use of the colle ge. O n receipt of the application the m atter Was referred in the u sua l manner to the inspector, and, as he too k some time before reporting upon the appli cation, the late Duke of Norfolk wrote to the Home-office calling attention to it. That letter, together with Dr. Faber's original communication, having been forwarded to the inspector, b e reported that, as far as sanit ary considera tions were concerned, there was not the slighteat lik e lih oo d of danger resulting from the establishment of an exclusive burial-ground for this religious community. Th a t b eing the case, upon sanitary grounds , and sa ni tary ground s a l one, the Home-o ffi ce granted the application. L ast year, upon Mr. Smee's making a complaint as to certain. irregularities in the mana geme nt o f the burial-ground, the inspector agai n reported ; but the report was to the effect that during the seven years for which the burial ground had existed only three interments had taken place there, and consequently that no possible injury could have befallen the inhabitants through its existence. So far, therefore, there was no reason for the appointment of a committee. With respect to the in life ; that he had so disposed of all but £4,000 or £5,000 in works of charity ; that he was 40 or 41 at the time of his death in the Oratory; and that at his death he left this re sidue of his property to Father Faber, believing that that reverend gentleman would use it for purposes after his own heart. That bequest was now under the consideration of the Probate Court of England, and it was a monstrous thing that gentlemen of the highest character and devotion to their religion should be thus assailed when the verb upon which they were assailed was befo:io question proper and com petent tribunal. Sir G. B -tqi, explained the circumstance of Mr. Hutchinsr.;:4 9-W sn Y ame on his tomb being different to his baptismal name, by stating that he had changed his name on being confirmed, which by the law of England he had the power to do. He pointed out, too, that Mr Hutchinson's will was not a death-bed will, but made three years before his death. Mr. R. LONG said that his hon. friend the member for North Warwickshire had not the right to reply ; but after the speech of the noble lord opposite, in reply to an attack upon monastic institutions, and not upon the Howard family, it was necessary to say, on behalf of his hon. friend, that nothing was further from his intention than for a single moment to say anything which could be construed or twisted, even by the ingenious power of a Roman Catholic --(cries of oh, and order)—into an attack upon the Howard family. (Hear, and oh.) His motion had been directed against institutions, and not against persons, and if any- thin; painful had occurred, no one regretted it more than tile hon, member for North Warwickshire. The noble lord's I believe there never was an instance where so many,impor tant papers have been subjected to such a dipping process as in this Dano-Gereian coireapoudence. (Hear, hear.) All the important doeiMents—and they must have caused my hone Mehd much trouLle—have been what is vulgarly Called "through the mill" until they assume the shape of elegant extracts. (Laughter.) These papers strongly re mind one of the character of the month which has just passed. The correspondence in Parts 1,2, 3, and 4 was conducted by the Foreign-office with leonine vigour ; No. 6, sir, has concluded with most lamb-like ba-sing. (Much laughter.) In studying what Y may call the early style of the Foreign-office I was impressed with fear lest the Go vernment, in their hysteric fusiness and irritating industry in reading lectures to Germany and the Great Powers gene rally, might anticipate the suggestions of my hon. friend the member for Swansea, and immediately send a fleet to the Baltic, Luckily, No. 5 has been produced, and I am relieved at least of that anxiety--(laughter)—for in those papers their new style is perceptible, and I must say that a more striking contrast to the first four volumes, or a more remarkable avidity for feeding on humble pie—(cheers and laughter)—has never been displayed by any Government or any Ministry which has swayad the foreign destinies of this country. (Hear, hear.) Let not the house be led away by the exciting statement of n.y hon. friend—(a laugh)— but let the house certainly consider what have been the results, I will not say of our policy, because it would be an affront to the word, but of our bungling diplomacy. We are told we are to have a conference, and the extraordinary thing is that directly this conference is announced the war, which speech was a most ingenious perversion of his noble friend's attack upon monastic institutions. If he (Mr Long) were a Roman Catholic, he could not, after the statements which were made with reference to the practices said to be carried en in monastic and conventual institutions, oppose the motion for inquiry. The house was entitled to have evidence of the practices which were carried on in such establish ments. They had all received a printed paper which, if not true, was a libel. It was entitled '• Facts on Nuns and Nunneries," and gave many instances of the maltreatment of poor unfortunate females who were maltreated and seduced (laughter)—he did not mean practically seduced— (renewed laughter)—into these places, which were prisons. and not nunneries, where their property was confiscated, and they were denied to their friends. If those statements were falsehoods, let the Roman Catholics try the issue, and disprove them it they could in committee. If the committee was granted, his hon. friend, and those who acted with him, would undertake to prove many such cases. Sir P. O'BRIEN expressed the contempt he felt for the statements of the hon. gentleman who had just sat down, recommending to him the study of the speeches of his poli tical leader, the right hon. member for Buckinghamshire (Mr Disraeli), in one of which he would find it justly ob served that "insolence is not sarcasm, and violence is not had hitherto languished, has become most sanguinary—so much so that in the same telegram announcing that M. Quaade and another Danish Minister are about to start to attend the Conference the intelligence is continued that Sonderborg has very nearly been laid in ashes. The im mediate effect of the approaching Congress upon the north of Europa, which we seek by its means to pacify, has been to lead the Prussians to redouble their attacks, adding im mensely to the slaughter. (Cheers.) Let us go a little further and see what this Conference is• We are told the he attendance of all the signataries to that remarkable Treaty of 1852 has been promised , and, what is more, that a Plenipotentiary of the German Diet will attend—a Power, by-the-by, which has been treated by the Government of the noble lord heretofore very much in the light of a poor relation—(laughter)—that is to say, not taken into account at all. Suddenly—and let the house mark that it was at the suggestion of the Frennh Government, which declined, if there be any truth in the papers contained in No. 5, to be present without a plenipotentiary from the Danish Go- - - vernment attended—we have a statement that a plenipoten tiary from the German Diet was also invited. Whether lat plenipotentiary will attend or not we do not know _ . exactly, but from the nature of the German Diet I think that wa can foresee that, whatever day the noble lor.i has invective." Mr. NEWDEGATE rose to offer some explanation, but was stopped by cries of " Order." The house then divided, and the numbers were— For Mr. Newdegate's motion Against Majority --33 SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS OF DUBLIN. named for his Conference, the German Diet, by reason of their sluggish mode of proceeding, will not be in a position to scud an answer to the noble lord's invitation for some weeks, if not for some months later. They will have to refer the matter to the 37 States which they reptesent— (laughter)—theso will refer it back again, and the subject will then be entertained by a select committee—(laughter) _ _ —so that at the end of the session, probably, the noble lord will have an answer from the German Diet. The French Minister, with more foresight than our own, sug gests that the protocol might be left open for the German plenipotentiary ; and that, perhaps, might be the best Mr. GREGORY called attention, in a speech of much length and great variety of detail, to the condition of the scientific institutions of Dublin which are assisted by Go vernment aid. Sir R. PEEL said the Government were prepared to agree to the appointment of a select committee to inquire fully into the character of these institutions. The discussion was nevertheless continued by Sir E. Grogan, Mr. Whiteside, Mr. Vance, Mr, Lofroy, and Mr. Adderley. . . . _ course to pursue. But, suppose the Conference meets, I want the house calmly to consider what it is to do. It appears to me that is nothing more nor less than a means of escape for her Majesty's Ministers from their bungling proceedings and uncalled-for meddling in the North of Europe. (Cheers.) It is, in fact, a political pic-nie given by the noble lord, to which every country will be allowed to bring its basket of suggestions---(laughter)—with no piece de resistance provided in the shape of a basis, but with perfect freedom—and indeed argument—on the part of each one present to differ upon every point from everybody else. (Hear, hear, and renewed laughter.) All this time when the noble lord is sending out his general invitations —" At home" on a certain day—l want to know what the Foreign-office are about to do with this Treaty of May 8, 1852 ? (Hear, hear.) We hear a great deal about this treaty in the early style of the Foreign-office ; but by some extraordinary transmutation in No. 5, as laid upon the table of the House, the Treaty of 1852 has vanished alto gether from the consideration of her Majesty's Government. So thoroughly is this the case, that having put upon the paper a motion for the 19th inst. relating to the Treaty of 1852, I now am seriously* a loss to know whether that treaty any longer applies to the treatment of this Danes German question. It is a curious study to trace what is the main thought running through the mind of her Ma • jesty's Government in their handling of this subject. In their place in Parliament I find them speaking what my hon. friend called grays big words of menace to Germany, and clinging with desperate tenacity to what I call that ill-omened, unfortunate, and unjust treaty of 1852—(hear, hear)—a treaty which I shall prove was made at the insti gation of Russia—(hear, hear)—which compromised the interests of Denmark, and which I think compromised the honour of this country, in ignoring the liberties and rights of a free people. (Hear, hear.) I will not inflict upon the house a passage from the Blue-book, but if they will turn to page 731, of Part No. 5 they will per ceive that in despatch 1,010, of February 23, tin Foreign Minister, running away from his pre vious promises, wrote to Lord Bloomfield at Vienna, proposing a conference without a basis. I leave it to any sensible man to say, in the present state of feeling between the Powers, whether there is any likelihood of their:coming to an agreement at such a Conference, even though the anxiety of the noble lord to get them all into one room, like the Kilkenny cats, may be gratified. The despatch to which I have referred was dated Feb. 23, and on Feb. 26 a proposal in accordance with its terms was first made to the Danish Ministers by Sir A. Paget; and what was the state of things in the Danish Cabinet when that proposal was made ? Why, so great was the consternation created among those unfortunate Danes, whom we have been leading astray all through with false hopes—(cheers) —and then deserting them in their extremity—(renewed cheering) —so great, I say, was the consternation among them, that they said to Sir A. Paget, "For God's sake don't call on us for any immediate answer ; if we agree at once to a Conference without a basis, not merely wi l l our places be at stake, but probably the dynasty which you have taken so much trouble to set up," That is the feeling created at Copenhagen among the Danish Ministry by this proposal of a Conference without a basis. On the 9th of March a fresh pressure was put on Denmark. It appears to have been felt that affairs had come to such a point in this house that her Majesty's Government could no longer resist tak ing action and putting a fresh pressure ou Denmark. On March 15 Austria declares to our ambassador that though she had formerly agreed to the basis of the Treaty of 1852, she will now no longer he satisfied with the fulfilment by the Danes of the engagements of 1851-5 2 ; and that if she meets in Conference she will demand further engagements, On March 16 Denmark still asserts that she will only meet in Conference on the basis of the engagements of 1851-52; but she takes very little by this, for on March 17 Sir A. Buchanan, at Berlin, announces to M. Bismark that her Ma jesty's Government had altogether given np engagements of 1851-52 as the basis for the meeting of the Conference. (Bear, hear.) But what happens after that Y It is a most extraordinary thing, and it must strike every hon. member with astonishment, that whenever we want any real infor mation on foreign affairs we are not furnished with it by our own Government, who, while they do not pretend to legislate for home affairs, yet appeal to us for our support on account of the vigour and foresight of their foreign policy. Well, when anything remarkable is to be learnt respecting foreign policy, we do not find it in this blue book. No. We must go to the foreign papers, and in the second edition of the Vines published yesterday there ap pears a despatch from the French Minister for Foreign Affairs to the French Ambassador in London, which is not to be found in the blue-book, though the despatch is dated March 20. The contents of that despatch are of so extra ordinary a nature that I think that some detailed statement is due from the noble lord, the Prime Minister, as to whether the Government are agreed to take the suggestion contained in that despatch as the bas is of the Confe rence The propositi on o f th e F ren ch Ministe r involv es such a r serious principle that I think the hou se should take it into consideration if the Government does not. M. Dc n o ct u h y a n th de e Lhuys says he wishes to acquaint t he Cabinet of London with the course intended to be etosatikeya s t:ia Government bryyLhe attend, F e he thinks French Go vernment it to i ssay his thdaat i t,ny if t reference tohien Ff inform herh n French Plenipotentiary p me t enaCi info enc a ; and he goe s on will propose as a basis for the con sideration of th e Con ference the propriety o f con sulting th e wi sh of the popu lation of Schleswig and Holstein as to who should b e their Sovereign. I take it that this is really a bona fide d o _ spatch, and that is the purport of it. I want to kn ow, then, why it is not given in the blue-book, and whether th e Go vernment will lay a copy of it o n the table of the h ouse. I wish, too, that the noble lord will tell the house whether he, or the representative of the British Government at the Conference is prepared to concur in that basis laid down by the French Minister. In fact, the further wo look into this question of the Conference, it appears impossible to hope that any good will result from it. None of the representa tives about to enter the Conference, with the exception of the representatives of Austria and Prussia, appear to have any settled ideas of any sort or kind, and they seem to have given up all previous pledges to abide by the treaty of 1852. The Conference, therefore, so far from settling the peace of the North of Europe, is more likely to embitter matters, and instead of localising the war, is likely to extend it over a larger area. I would wish to draw the attention of the house to the answer given by the noble lord the Foreign Secretary of this country to the invitation to attend the Conference, which was proposed by the Emperor of the French to be held at Paris. The very reasons given for refusing to attend that Congress apply with equal force to the assembly of the Conference which is shortly to meet. I will only read two passages from the despatch of the noble lord, but they are of so much importance that I am sure the house will excuse the time I shall occupy in doing so, At the same time I must say I shall always lament that the in vitation to attend the Congress was not accepted ; and I think also that it might have been responded to with some what more courtesy, without the answer being first published in the limes newspaper. Lord Russell stated last November to Lord Cowley that the British Government would feel more THE SEN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, APRIL 9, 1864. apprehension than confidence from the meeting of a Con gress of SoirereiE,'ns and Ministers without fixed objects, ranging over the map of Europe and exciting hopes and aspirations which they might feel themselves unable either to gratify or to quiet. But the noble lord goes further. Let the house remember that the present Conference is to be held during a state of war and without an armistice or basis and then consider how applicable to it are these words, used in reference to the Congress proposed by the French Empe ror. The noble lord the Foreign Secretary wrote in Novem- ber last to Lord Cowley 1--- " Indeed it is to be apprehended that questions arising from day to day, coloured by the varying events of the hour, would give occasion rather for useless debate than for prac tical and useful deliberation in a Congress of 20 or 30 repre sentatives, not acknowledging any supreme authority, and not guided by any fixed rules of proceeding." That language held by the noble lord in refusing to join the Congress for the pacification of Europe, and for lessening our armaments, is more applicable on this occasion than when it was addressed to the Emperor of the French. (Hear, hear.) I am very much inclined to believe that this whole Conference will only turn out a Parliamentary hoax, and it would have been much better, instead of meeting on _ _ _ the 12th April, if the noble lord postponed it till the Ist of April next, (Laughter.) But I really wish to know when this Conference will assemble. At present it stands for the 12th April, but I see by the foreign newspapers that it has no chance of meeting then. I want only to know what pros pect there is, if it does meet at all, of any report of its pro ceedings being made before the house is dismissed for the long vacation. I can well understand that if this case is brought before the house in any shape the plea will be urged that it would be prejudicial to the public service to discuss the question while the Conference is sitting; but in my opinion, and in the opinion, I believe, of a great many members of this house who take the trouble to read the papers on the subject, we should be strengthening the hands of the Go vernment by having a proper discussion on these questions. I want to know, and I hope the noble lord at the head of the Government will give some proper account to the house as to what has become of this treaty of 1852. (Hear, hear.) Does her Majesty's Government intend to abide by that treaty, or are we to have another state of affairs by which there will be a temporary patching up of this system on the Continent, condemning these poor .unfortunate Schleswig- Holsteiners to what the noble lord calls the sway of their lawful Sovereign, but whom they acknowledge as their lawful Sovereign. It certainly is surprising that any man who pretends to lead a liberal party should endeavour to force a Sovereign on a people who have never be consulted as to their choice. (Hear, hear.) I hope the noble lord wih give an explanation, and not evade any of these points ; but of this lam awe, that, whatever may be the present opinion of the country, in ignorance of the transactions which have taken place, it will hereafter regret that Ger many has been irritated, Denmark cajoled, and England humiliated. (Cheers.) Mr. NEW LEGATE rose, but being greeted with cries of " Spoken," resumed his seat. Lord PALMERSTON said,—lt is difficult to satisfy my hon. friend, for he finds fault with the past, with the pre sent, and with the future. (Hear, hear, and a laugh.) I shall not, therefore, attempt to alter his opinions, but shall simply answer the questions which have been put to me. My hon. friend accuses her Majesty's Government of having misled Denmark, and of having excited expectations which have not been fulfilled. I utterly deny these allegations. (Hear, hear.) There is not a syllable in the blue-books with which my hon. friend pretends to be familiar, but which I cannot believe he has read, which bears out the assertion he has made. Our policy has been plain and simple from the beginning, and, as I think, honourable to us. Our object has been first of all to prevent war, and, hostilities having commenced, to restore peace. My hon. friend says we have thrown over the Treaty of 1852. No such thing. (Hear, hoar.) Again, I say my hon. friend has not read a word of the blue-books, for there is nothing in them to justify such a statement. On the contrary, not only do we maintain the Treaty of 1852, but every one of the Powers who concluded that treaty equally maintain it. Therefore my bon. friend must have been in a dream on this matter—(hear, hear, and a laugh)—and comes down here to expound his illusions, instead of telling us what he would have discovered if he had perused those documents which seem to weigh so much on his mind. My hon. friend has fallen into some of those contradictions which man of hi. genius and imaginative powers are occasionally apt to stumble into. He has criticised the Conference and very natu rally, being of an inquisitive turn of mind, he wants to know what the Conference will do when it assembles. I am not able to gratify his curiosity. If he wishes to know the past I furnish him with the blue-books. It he wishestoknow the future he must apply somewhere else. (A. laugh.) My hon. friend ridicules the Conference, which, by the way, he has invested with a function which I was not aware naturally belonged to it. He says the Conference cannot meet with out a basis. When two Governments begin to treat for peace it is, no doubt, essential that the plenipotentiaries should settle the terms on which they are to negotiate, and agree whether it is to be on the principle of uti possidetis or the status quo ante bellum. It is not, however, the peculiar function of a Conference to have a basis. The pleniptenti aries have different powers, and meat for the purpose of ascertaining what is the state of things, and how they can be set right. That is a Conference. (Hear, hear.) My hon. friend objects to the Conference, which is to meet for the pit - pose of endeavouring to put an end to the hostilities that are raging, but which he says Will only create more mischief. He pledges his political sagacity--and I beg you to bear that in alind—(a laugh)—that the Conte: once can lead to no good result. I can only say I trust that this flay next year ho will not be able to remind us of what he has now predicted as having been fulfilled. (Hear, hear.) My hon. friend says we are wrong to agree to the Conference, but that we were equally wrong not to have agreed to the Congress. He thinks the reason we gave fur not going to the Congress was absurd. I said there was no object. Well, there was no object for the Congress, because there was no war which it was to bring to a close, and there was no particular subject to which the Congress was to direct attention. Hero, however, there is a distinct object—to en deavour to reconcile parties who are differing, and to put an end to hostilities now raging. The cases are utterly dif ferent, and my hon. friend would, I think, have shown more discrimination of mind if he had not drawn this dis tinction, which was exactly the wrong way. (A. laugh.) I repeat - that all the parties who concluded the treaty of 1852 agree in holding that they are bound by it to acknow ledge King Christian as the Sovereign of Denmark, and to maintain the integrity of that kingdom. You may say that is not a basis ; at least it. is an agreement. (Hear, hear.) The Powers have all agreed that that is the condi tion on which they enter into the conference with a view to reconcile the differences which have arisen between Denmark and Germany. My hon. friend confounds two things which are in themselves entirely separate —the agreements of 1851-2 and the treaty of 1852. There are differences between Germany and Den mark as to the agreements re. 1852, the main facts of which were that, whereas on the one hand the German Powers agreed not to require the administrative and poiitica union of Holstein and Schleswig, on the ether hand the Danish Government agreed not to do anything which could tend to incorporate Holstein with Denmark. But these agreements are totally different from the Treaty of 1852, and it is quite essential to our understanding of the matter, that the distinction should be borne in mind. The agreements of 1851-2 may be settled either way, without infringing the Treaty of 1852, and the Treaty of 1852 may be adhered to by those who entertain different opinions as to the en gagements which preceded it. We have the assent of all the Powers who concluded—l do not say of those who acceded to—the treaty—France, Austria, Prussia, Russia, Sweden, and Denmark. The German Confederation was not a party to the t treaty. (Mr B. Osborne—The Confederation was not asked.) No; and some of the Powers of Germany objected to proposing to the German Diet to become a party to the treaty. (Hear.) At one time Prussia was against it, although she afterwards changed her mind and wished the treaty to be communicated to the Diet. The other Powers, however, would not consent to that. We have asked the Diet to send a plenipotentiary to the Conference. Whether they will be as long in giving an answer as my hon. friend imagines I cannot say ; but in deference to the desires of Austria and Prussia, who are anxious to give them a little more time to consider their answer, the meeting of the Conference will be postponed from the 12th to the 20th of April. France, it is true, wishes the Diet to send a representative to the Conference, but does not make that a sine qua non. Even if the Diet does not appear in the Conference, it will still be possible to proceed with it. My honorable friend alluded to a despatch from the French Govern vernment to the French ambassador here, containing the suggestion of an appeal to the populatians of Holstein and Schleswig. That is not, however, put forward as a basis, but is thrown out merely as a suggestion. There are obvi ous objections which may b 3 raised to any such proceeding, and it is not likely that the other Powers will fall into the suggestion ; nor, indeed, does Franco require it. The French Government state distinctly that they stand on the Treaty of 1852, and hold themselves bound by its engagements. Well, sir, that is the state of the case. My hon. friend has his opinions ; but I do not think they are partaken by the country at large. (Hear) Although my hon. friend is very abundant in his criticisms, I am really quite at a loss to understand what he would have done if he had the manage ment of affairs, (Mr. 11. Osborne—Let it alone,) My hon. friend, therefore, would have been a party to a treaty (Mr. B. 04borne—I would not have made it) by which this country was bound to acknowledge a certain Sovereign as King of the countries under the sway of the Danish Crown, and to respect the integrity of the Danish monarchy; and in spite of the general opinion that this country was bound in honour and in interest to endeavour to maintain that treaty, he would have done nothing but sit with his hands in his pockets, as he is doing now. (A. laugh and " hoar, hear,") Ido not think that such a course would have been to the credit of the Government or to the satisfaction of the country at large. (Hear, hear.) We may be wrong and he may be right, but such, at least, is our opinion on the matter. (Hear, heat.) We endeavoured to persuade other countries to fall into our views, and we trust we have accomplished, or are about to accomplish, a considerable step in assembling a Conference with the object of restoring peace. (llean) My hon. friend who opened the ques tion to-night refeired to a transaction at Sonderborg which I am afraid there is no reason to doubt really took place. We have no official or autheatie iutorulation, but we have THE NEW BANKRUPTCY ACT. Mr. MOFFATT called attention to the working of the new Bankruptcy Act, which he said was so imperfect and inoperative that it: tended to increase the burdens of the commercial classes in this country, whose pecuniary bur dens were severe, it being calculated that the annual amount of insolvency was not less than £50,000,000. The number of bankrupts had increased since the passing of the act in 1861, and the amount realised was comparatively small. As the act stood it had better, in his opinion, be expunged from the Statute- book, since it afforded little security to credi tors an ample opportunities for fraud. Mr. MURRAY, approving the principle of the act, con curred with Mr. Moffitt in condemning its operation, which did not reach dishonest debtors as effectually as the old law, while the expenses, instead of diminishing, had in- creased. The ATTORNEY•GENERAL observed that the act had succeeded in some of the objects at which it was aimed, and where it had failed in its working the mercantile com munity were sometimes mainly responsible. The Lord Chancellor, the author of the act, was desirous that the evils attributed to its working should be inquired into, and the Government were prepared to assent to the appointment of a select committee for that purpose. Sir L. PALK called the attention of the Attorney-General to a role obtained for a commission to examine the Pasha of Egypt and other witnesses at Cairo to obtain evidence against the steam rams detained at Birkenhead, and asked how long this investigation was likely to take, and the pro bable expense of it; whether the trial of the Birkenhead ironclads would be postponed from May next until this in formation was obtained; and why this rule was not applied for when the vessels were first detained: He prefaced these inquiries by remarks upon the proceedings of the Govern ment in connexion with the seizure of the rams, insisting upon the bone fides of Messrs. Laird in the matter, and ac cusing the Government of a one-sided neutrality. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL was precluded by the forms of the house from saying more than simply answer ing the questions. THE BOMBARDMENT OF SONDERBORG. Mr. DILLWYN called attention to a telegraphic dee patch which appeared in the Times of the 6th inst., relative to the bombardmentof Sonderborg by tho Prussians without previous intimation, and asked if her Majesty's Govern ment had received information whether such account was substantially correct; and if so, what steps had been taken by her Majesty's Government to recall the Prussian Govern ment to a sense of the necessity of carrying on war in ac cordance with the usages of civilised nations. These ques tions were introduced by comments upon the proceedings of the Prussian authorities, and especially upon the " outrage" referred to. He suggested that some strong measures should be resorted to on our part, short, he said, of an act of war—such as sending a fleet to the Baltic—in behalf of Denmark. Mr. OSBORNE—When I read the notice of the very proper question which has been put by my hon. friend I had no idea that it was about to lead to such warlike results• (Hear.) The question is a natural one for a member of the House of Commons to put with reference to what appears to be an outrage on humanity—(hear)—and I had hoped that my hon. friend, who was somewhat confused in his ar gument, because he began by saying that he was against Denmark, but that, somehow or other, he was opposed to the Prussians — Mr. DILLWYN explained that he had said that he thought Denmark was wrong in the first instance, but that the conduct of Prussia was unjustifiable. Mr. OSBORNE—I was under the impression that the hon. gentleman would have contented himself with a sim ple protest; but, like the lion lashing himself into fury with his own tail—(a laugh)—he has imitated the example which was set him in another place, to the horror of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who was thinking of his surplus, which we disposed of last night (loud laughter)—or shall dispose of, I hope, on a future evening; for I am sure that the right hon. gentleman's speech last night would convince any one that we mighthave passed the Budget the same evening. (Hear, hear.) But what was my astonishment to hear the honourable gen tleman, who had announced himself as a Dane, calmly propose that we should send our fleet to the Baltic for the protection of Denmark, without any discus sion whatever having taken place in this house. The house will recollect that at the meeting of Parliament — and 1 must beg the attention of the junior Lord of the Treasury, the hon. member for Kidderminster, who has lately addressed his constituents upon this question, and who has such confidence in her Majesty's Government —at the meeting of Parliament there was no subject of such absorbing interest as the complication of affairs in tie North of Europe. Various skirmishes occurred upon this subject, and enormous interest was taken in it by the leaders of the great party that I see opposite. But what has hap pened since? The house sat for six weeks, and no opinion whatever was expressed as to the policy of her Majesty's Government, and to this day the house is liable to be led away by the raw head and bloody bones statements made by nay hon. friend. (A. laugh.) I contend that it is posi tively necessary that this question should be examined fully and calmly by this house in the face of the country. (Cheers.) At first it was said, and said with truth, that it was impossible to discuss this Dano-German question in the absence of the papers bearing upon it. It was complained that those papers were most unaccountably delayed. I have since seen the reason, and am able to give an explanation of that, Negotiations having been going on for months, it was not too much to expect that at the meeting of Parliament papers would have been immediately laid upon the table of this house. No such course was adopted by her Majesty's Government. After a considerable interval had elapsed a bulky volume was produced—• Nos. 1,2, 3, and 4—but when a debate was about to take place upon those interesting papers the noble lord interposed with the specious plea which we so often hear from the Treasury bench, of its being pre judicial to the interests of the country—and for " country" we may sometimes read " Ministry." The noble lord de precated any discussion, and announced to the house that a C'enference—in which even the hon. gentleman who has so much confidence in the noble lord has no confidence—was about to take place upon the subject. I yielded to the ap peal of the noble lord. On the reassembling of Parliament after the holidays other papers were laid upon the table— volume No. 5. These papers have issued fro.a the press like the novel of " Sir Charles Grandison," which was published in separate volumes. They aro as lengthy, and certainly on the whole I may say as dull. (A. laugh.) But on reading No. 5 I perfectly acquit the Government, I quite understand the reasons fcr the delay in presenting the previous volumes. In fact, I will go further. I think the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs deserves great credit for his assi duity in revising, suppressing, and clipping these papers into a state in which they shall be fit for the Parliamentary mind. reasons to believe, without knowing the extent to which lives were sacrificed, that a bombardment of Sonderborg did take place, and that some of the citizens were killed. The invasion of Danish territory was, in our opinion, unjust and unjustifiable, and I am sorry to say that circumstances have occurred in connection with the conduct of the German troops during the invasion which are not in keeping with the practice of civilised nations in modern times. (Cheers.) We have made an inquiry at Berlin, but we have not yet got an answer—an inquiry, first, as to whether the thing did take place; and next, by what authority and under what orders the bombardment was carried out. Ido not think the British Government can presume to dictate to the Prussian army the manner in which they should con duct their operations, but there are opinions which men may express as to conduct pursued in violation of ordinary rule and humanity, though I hope we shall be allowed to determine what we shall say when we get an answer from the Government of Berlin. (Hear, bear.) Mr. KINGLAKE noticed the conflict of views among the Powers that were to meet in conference on the subject of a basis. He looked upon the Conference, he said, as mainly useful (if useful at all) as a means of enabling her Majesty's Government to retreat from their position. General PEEL remarked that this was not a question to be discussed incidentally upon an inquiry, but on going into a committee of supply. Sir H. Verney, Mr. Peacocka, and Mr. S. Beaumont continued the discussion, at the conclusion of which the house went into a committee of supply pro fly-nil. The Warehousing of British Spirits Bill was recom mitted. The Life Annuities and Life Assurances Bill was read a second time, after a short explanation of its object, by the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER. The remaining orders having been disposed of, the house adjourned at half-past 12 o'clock. Naval and Military Intelligence. THE NAVY. The Aurora, 35, 400 horse-power, Captain Sir F. Leopold M'Clintock, which arrived in the Medway a few days since, from the westward, for the pur pose of taking on board stores, provisions, coals, &c., previously to proceeding on a cruise to the North Sea, has been detained in the river waiting the re sult of a court of inquiry which, in accordance with orders received at Chatham, has assembled by direc tion of the Admiralty to ascertain the alleged de• recta of some portion of her machinery, as well as the cause for the excessive priming of the boilers, The court consists of Mr. W. Rumble, chief inspec tor of machinery attached to the Chatham Steam Reserve in the Medway; Mr. W. A. Dinnen, in- spector of machinery at Devonport, where the Aurora was fitted out; and Mr. W. Biaxland, chief engineer of the steam factory ; Mr. Warren also attended the court as the representative of Messrs. Maudslay and Co., the makers of the etiginec. It is probable that the Aurora may be detained for some days. The Cornwallis, GO, 200 horse-power, late coast guard ship at Hull, has been removed from the Medway into the steam basin for the purpose of being dismantled and placed in the third division of the Chatham Steam Reserve. The officers and crew belonging to the Cornwallis have been turned over to the Dauntless, 31,580-horse power, which will be stationed in the Humber. The Cornwallis will require some very extensive repairs before she can again be placed in commission. Tile Dauntless, 31, screw steamer, has been re moved into No. 1 dock at Sheerness, where she is making good defects prior to proceeding to succeed the Cornwallis as guardship at Hull. Since she has been placed in dock she has undergone a thorough survey at the hands of the officials, in order to ascertain if any defects exist, in order that they may be made good. Her bottom, up to nearly her load waterline, has been found in an exceedingly foul state and covered with mussels,barnacles, &c., while her discharge pipes are almost choked up. This circumstance will now account for the low rate of speed attained by the Dauntless on her passage round from Southampton to the Medway, and which, from the high power of the engines, was a puzzle to all on board. A considerable leak has also been discovered in the upper body of the frigate, behind the forward sternpost,and close to the screw well, the repair of which will detain her in dock longer than was at first anticipated. It is now between three and four years since the Dauntless was in dock, and it is probable that a close inspec tion will lead to the discovery of other defects re quiring to be made good. Should it be found neces sary to disturb the sternposts and screw shaft to get at the leak, the Dauntless will be detained in dock much longer than is at present anticipated. Her Majesty's gunboat China, Lieut.-Commander Noel Osborn, recently in the service of the Chinese Government, arrived at Woolwieh yesterday, 61 days from the Cape of Good Hope. After discharg ing her powder and guns at the Royal Arsenal the men were paid five months' wages due, and were granted leave of absence, pending arrange ments for their future provision. Her armament consisted of one 68-poander pivot gun aft, one 32- pounder Whitworth rifled gun amidships, kis 32- pounder broadsides, and two 12-pounder brass guns. She also carried two small mountain guns. She afterwards proceeded to the dockyard to return stores, the whole of which, it is stated, will be re purchased by the War Department and the Admi ralty. Her Majesty's War Department vessel Lord Pan mure, H. T. Moore commander, has been launched from Messrs. Simpson and Co.'s works, Isle of Doge, having been thoroughly overhauled on their new patent slip, Christ Chareh Works. Her engines and boilers have been repaired and a new gun metal stern tube has been fitted to her screw shaft. Her hull has been caulked, rivetted, and painted, and the whole of the work performed in the short space of ten days. The ship has again sailed from Woolwich and Purfleet, laden with a cargo of 3,430 barrels(); powder, 35 tons of 68-pounder shot, a nd 45 tons of otherstores, for Portsmouth. Her Majesty's steatzi storeship Dee yesterday arrived at Woolwich, bringtz; b 7 np the screw gun vessel Roebuck, the engines of which vessel are ordered to be removed to the corvette Niger, under thorough repair in dock at Woolwich. The Nile, screw line-of-battle ship, Capt. iiarnard, with Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Milne, K. 0.8., late Commander-in-Chief of her Majesty's Naval Forces in North America and the West Indies, and family on board, arrived at Spithead from Bermuda late on Thursday. Yesterday, at eight a.m., she exchanged the customary salutes with the Vic tory, flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir M. Seymour, K.C.8., Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, and shortly afterwards Sir A. Milne, accompanied by his staff and Lady Milne and family, disembarked from the Nile and landed at the dockyard from the Fire Queen steam tender, where he visited Sir Michael Seymour at the Admiralty House. The Nile coaled yesterday at Spithead, and will sail this afternoon for Devonport, where she will be dis mantled and paid out of commission. She sailed from Bermuda on March 17, at which time her Majesty's ships on the station were the Duncan' flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, Sir J. Hope, K.C.8., Shannon, Phaeton, Liverpool, Medea, Buz zard, Pylades, Greyhound, Nimble, Cygnet, Spit. fire, Onyx, Netley, and Terror. The Plover left Bermuda on the 10th ult. for Cuba. The Royalist was at Port Royal, and the Rosario at Norfolk, Virginia. Thirteen naval,and marine invalids arrived in the Nile, with 52 supernumeraries from the fleet ; the former were sent yesterday to the Naval Hospital at Hasler, and the latter to her Majesty's ship Vic tory, harbour guardship. The following officers also came home in the Nile—Lieut. Feilowes, Royal Rogineers ; and Lieuts. Trotter, Millett, and Gutty, 39th Regiment, Mr. Harris (son of Capt. R. Harris, lately commanding her Majesty's ship Britannia), invalided, and Mr. Gedley, gunner, her Majesty's ship Greyhound, on promotion ; Mr. Trevor, late lieutenant of her Majesty's ship Plover (dismissed the service); and four military prisoners also came home in the ship. The Nile has been known among the ships' crews serving on the North America and West India station as a " happy ship," and as such her crew have been envied by those of other vessels serving in the same latitudes. The Scout, 21, screw corvette, Capt. J. Corbett, sailed from Spithead yesterday afternoon to strip and pay out of commission. The testing of two 41 inch armour plates, one of English, and one of French manufacture, resulted in the latter proving the better. It is but just to observe, however, before referring further to the trial, that the pl a te was below the average standard of quality which has been maintained by its makers, .... ...5......-.---- _ Messrs. Beale and Co., for some considerable time past ; while the French plate, manufactured by Messrs, Petin and Co., was much above the , average standard of the French plates tested in En gland. Eight inches from the plate's lower edge and. in its centre it was struck by the fourth and fifth shots fired full on a bolt. The s econd shot drove thebolt clear out of the plate into the ship's side , a nd le i t the indent in the plate from this double shot 4in. and 7-10ths, a crack being opened up through the in dent. Eeight inches to the right of these two shots (measuring in each instance from the centre of eacl blow), and at the same distance from the lower edger of the plate two other shots took effect. They drove that piece on which they immediately struck 14ia. into the ship's side (from the louter surface of the plate), and detached a p iece of the plate from the main body 2ft. Gin. in length by Bin. in depth. The fracture ran through the centre of the indents. The plate had undoubtedly been much shaken by two other shots, which struck immediately above the fracture, although they did not impinge upon the other ahoG marks. The side of the ship was driven in three inches from its plane at the back of the plate, and` the plate itself at .its right end was started three inches oat from the ship's side. It was a proof of the excellent quality of the metal, however, that a subsequent shot fired at this end of the plate had merely the effect of bending it back into its former position without increasing the damage to the piste's lower centre. The French plate was bolted' on the target ship's side by 2-inch ordinary iron bolts which started under the blows of the shots, as they usually do. The English plate was attached with Acadian iron bolts, which started in no in stance. Messrs. Patin, Gaudet, and Co, are acknow ledged the best makers of rolled armour plates in France, bat the trial of yesterday will furnish no comparative degree of merit between them and our best English makers. Let our acknowledged beat makers of rol ed iron plates, Messrs. John Brown. and Co., of the Atlas Works, Sheffieid, be allowed to enter the lists against Messrs. Petin, Gaudet, and Co., both being under precisely equal conditions of manufacture, and results of a competitive trial would then be obtained which would really be of national interest. Meanwhile the history of the introduction (so far as is known to the public) of French plates, into this country and their subsequent career is somewhat interesting. The first two were supplied by Messrs. Petin, Gaudet, and Co. as " sample," and passed their test in the most success'ul manner, really deserving all the praise they got. The success of these two plates obtained for Petin, Gaudet, and Co., an order from our Admiralty for plates to the value of about £9,500 sterling, half being of 4y and: the remainder 51-in. When delivered at Portsmouth yard they were seen to be of a very inferior manu facture to the " sample" plates, the successful test of which had procured the order. A certain num ber were, therefore, selected for testing, but not one passed the test laid down by the Admiralty in their contracts, and the whole were reshipped to France with the exception of some three or four which had pieces of their metal cut out as samples for the Iron-. plate Committee, and for which, therefore, the makers must be paid at their contract price—X4s and £5O per ton. The two plates tested yesterday and two others on the 23d ult., all of which were from the same plates, have again raised the stan dard of French manufactured armour-plates for a time until some further failure of theirs or marked superiority of some English maker again brings them down. The following appointments were made yester day at the Admiralty : —Dr. Thomas Stratton, staff surgeon, to the Canopus ; John E. C. Sullivan, assistant-paymaster, to be secretary to Admiral Superintendent Austin ; Thomas Hadley, Richard H. Solly, and John H. Galloway, nominated to naval cadetships. THE ARMY. The funeral of Major C. Wollaston Clerke, late of her Majesty's 26th (Cameronians) Regiment, took place yesterday at Portsmouth, with lull military honours. A large number of military and naval officers followed the remains of the deceased officer to the grave, among the former being Major-Gen. Lord W. Paulet, C. 8., and staff. By a garrison order issued on Thursday at Wool wich, Gen. Sir Richard Dacres announced his in tention of assembling the whole of the garrison troops at Woolwich-common yesterday, for the pur pose of holding a brigade field day. In consequence however, of the death of Col. Charles Bingham, Deputy-Adjt.-Gen. of the Royal Artillery, Sir Richard cancelled the order for the field day, and the Royal ensign was hoisted at half mast from sunrise to sunset. This will be repeated each day until the funeral. The body will be conveyed pri. vately from Brighton to his late residence at Wool wich, and will be interred thence, according to pre sent orders, on Tuesday next. Deputy-Inspector-General J. Fraser, M.D., C. 8., has been appointed principal med:cal officer at Chatham garrison, succeeding Deputy-InspectorA General W. Dick, M.D. COUNTRY MARKETS. LIVERPOOL-FRIDAY. There was a fair attendance of the town and country trade to-day, and wheat met a limited consumptive de mand at a further reduction of Id to 2d per cental from last week's prices. Flour was neglected. although offered on easier terms. Egyptian beans steady, and in better re quest. Oats and oatmeal in little demand, and prices at before. There was little doing in Indian corn, and quota• tions unaltered, WAKEFIELD-FRIDAY. Wheat was quiet, at barely last week's quotations. Barley met a steady sale, and maintained former prices. Beans and other articles unaltered. Averagesfortheiweet: Wheat 2,911 qrs., at 4ls 51(1 Rye - -- 8ar1ey......... 562 -- Beans - Peas ,Oats 96 -- STAMFORD—FnmIy. White wheat, 40s to 42s ; red, 36s tol4os per 36 stone. Barley, malting, 33s to 35s ; grinding, 298 to 32s per qr. Oats, 18s to 22s per 24 stone. Beans, old, 40a to —8 per qr. ; new, 34s to 365. LINCOLN. •FRIDAY. White wheat new, 41s to 46s Barley, g:rinding..27B to 29e Red do. 34s to 418 Oats, old, 24s to 26s Old white —8 to —s New do 19s to 22s Red W. —s to —s I Beans. 40s to 42s 13arley, malting...33s to 35s 1 Beans, new.. 34s to 368 CORK—TnuRsDAY. The following were the quotations this morning :—Red wheat, 8s Od to 88 10d; white, 8s Od to 9s Bd, barley, 60 6d to 8s Od ; oats, 40 10d to 6s 2d ; black do., 4s 4d to 5a 3d. Persons in debt may obtain instant protection against imprisonment or seizure of their goods, and an entire release from all debts and liabilities without publicity, by applioation to Messrs. Marshall, solic.tors of the Court of Bankruptcy. Charges under £5 payable by easy instalments. Offices-- (established 1830), 12, Hatton-garden. City branch-6, Moor gate-street, Bank.—ADVT. Births. HARGREAVES.— On the Bth inst., at 41, Belgrave-square , the wile of Captain Hvrgreaves, of Arborffehl Hall, of & son. RICARDO.—On the 6th inst., at Gatcombe. ➢linchinhamp' ton, the wife of Henry David Ricardo, Esq., of a son. • TAYLOR.—On the 6th inst., at Elizabeth-street, Eaton' square, the Lady Jane Taylor, of a daughter. Marriages. CrIAILLTON—BELLABIB.—On Tuesday, the sth inst., Al Our Lady's Church, St. John's-wood, by his Eminence Cardinal Wiseman, Edward Charlton, M.D., of New; castle-upon-Tyne, to Margaret Jane, eldest daughter of Edward Bellasis, Serjeant•at-Law. IVES—TALBOT —On the 7th inst., at Malahide, Cecil R. Ives, Esq., Royal Horse Guards. second son of J. Robt• Ives, Esq., of Bentworth Hall, Hampshire, to the lion. Susan Anne Talbot, eldest daughter of Lord Talbot ds Malahide, Malahide Castle, co. Dublin. Deaths. --- BINGHAIII.—On the Gth inst., at Brighton, Colonel Chal l Bingham, Deputy-Adjutant. General, Royal .A.rtillerYi aged 49. BUCHANAN --On the sth inst., at Cawdor House, Lanark' shire, Thomas Buchanan, E'sq. BUTLER.—On the 2d inst., at her residence, GrOSVenor. square, the Right lion. Margaret Lauretta, widow of Richard Butler, second Eerl of Glengall. INGA.RFIELD —Oa the 4th inst., at 28, Grosvenor street, W., Mrs. W. E. ingarfield, aged 47. WATTS —On the sth inst., at 2, Blenheim-crescent, Ken sington-park, W., Alaric Alexander Watts, Esq. , ag ed 68. London: Priraed and rrbashed by WILLIAAIA.NDREWS, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at 'llls SUN Office No. )12, Strand, .2 the Precinct of the 3exoy, n the Ceitaiy of MiitileDex---Sattgday, Anil 9, 180.